A mansion, a title and marriage to a wealthy Lord – Lady Eveline Cartwright has it all. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to prevent her being bludgeoned to death one night in the study of Merisham Lodge, the family’s country estate in Derbyshire. Suspicion quickly falls on her ne’er-do-well son, Peter, but not everyone in the household is convinced of his guilt. Head kitchen maid Joan Hart and … Hart and lady’s maid, Verity Hunter, know that when it comes to a crime, all is not always as it seems.
With suspicions and motives thick on the ground, Joan and Verity must use all the wit and courage they possess to expose a deadly murderer who will stop at nothing to achieve their aim…
Murder at Merisham Lodge is the first in a new series of historical mysteries, Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate, set in the 1930s. The author, Celina Grace, is the creator of the bestselling The Kate Redman Mysteries and The Asharton Manor Mysteries, as well as several standalone thrillers.
Praise for Celina Grace by Amazon and Goodreads reviewers:
“Thoroughly enjoyed this read. I’ve been waiting for this story since the first of the Asharton novellas was published and I am very glad to see more of Joan and Verity. I think they are a great mystery team. Smart and active, but in a believable way. You don’t ever wonder how they could do what they do within the confines of their social roles and their “real” jobs are never thrown to the side.”
“Celina makes her characters someone you care about. I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes mysteries, especially period mysteries.”
” I love her writing style. This book does not disappoint. A great mix of mystery, humor and wonderful characters. All in a beautiful Manor. Very enjoyable read.”
“I have read the four Asharton Manor books and enjoyed them all, but the first story that introduced Joan and Verity was my favorite and I am so glad the author wrote another story with the two of them. This time period is very interesting to me and then to throw in a couple murders to solve makes it extra interesting. I hope to read more about Joan, Verity and ( maybe Inspector Marks ?) in future books.”
more
The two main characters, Joan Hart and Verity Hunter, are nicely drawn and I liked them. They supported each other and the other servants. They put the clues together and figured out the mystery.
It is a nice series.
Sweet rainy Saturday book filled with lovable characters. Grap a cuppa and settle in for an easy mystery with warm friendships and delightful characters.
This was a quick, light read.
Very cute read, gave perspective of what life was like in 1930 with maids and such
Fun
I didn’t finish it; it didn’t hold my interest. Not particularly well written.
I very much enjoyed the characters and the upstairs/downstairs elements of this book. I will look for more of this series.
Two servants keep their eyes open. You will learn how servants lived in those big estates, glad I live in this day and age. The girls do get themselves into trouble when they go to far investigating.
Enjoyed this mystery, good story.
Celina Grace does not dissapoint one!
I enjoy the idea of below-stairs experiences and gossip, however this book spent quite a bit of time with undetailed descriptions of what the main character(s) were doing for their normal and big events that still felt anticlimactic. I also agree that it would’ve been nice to know that there was a prequel before coming across references that the characters keep referring to. I felt disappointed at the end, both for the plot and pacing as well as the finale.
It was a nice, fast-paced read.
A fun mystery. Reminds me a little of Rosemary and Thyme on PBS.
Great couple of characters – wish I could find the book that seems like it precedes it (based on references in this book). Would read more featuring them.
A fun read
While hardly realistic, this is a fun little mystery from a point of view not frequently seen in mysteries: that of the servants. I picked this book up as a free download, but unlike many of my free downloads, I ended up reading it all the way through in short order. Fun and entertaining.
Sometimes a book is written in a way that is like a picture show …. this book is a book like that …. I found myself savoring the time spent reading it’s pages …. this happens far too seldom and when it does, I thoroughly enjoy the experience. I was for the duration planted in a time long past …. enjoying characters whose lives were so dramatically different than ours with such modern conveniences.
Good mystery
Predictable, should have been shorter.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were well-drawn, conversation was very realistic and background descriptions painted pictures for the reader. Frankly, it’s refreshing to read a mystery with brief matter-of-fact descriptions of cause of death, done without graphic detail. The time period was neatly conveyed as well.